Improvement in car-couplings



UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

NOYES B. EGGLESTON, OF OXFORD, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 149,208, dated March31, 1874; application filed May 8, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NoYEs B. ECGLES'ION, of Oxford, in the county ofOhenango and State of New York, have invented an Improvement inOar-Couplings, of which the following is a specification:

The nature of this invention relates to an improvement in that class ofcar-couplings which will automatically couple two cars on their comingtogether, thereby obviating the great danger to life and limb attendantupon the usual practice of going between the cars for that purpose. Theinvention consists in a draw-bar having a longitudinal vertical divisioninto two halves, secured together by bolts or bands, each half beingrecessed to receive a draft-bolt, a spring-latch, and a ball, whichserves as a coupling-pin for an entering link, and in combinationtherewith, a pair of springlevers and two incline planes, secured to thecarsills for operating the spring-latch, as more fully hereinafter setforth.

Figure 1 is an elevation of the two halves of the draw-head opened out.Fig. 2 is a bottom plan.

In the drawing, A B represent the two halves of the draw-head, eachhaving a recess, f, (seen, the lower part of Fig. 1,) to receive aT-headed draft-iron, F, whose rearend is secured to and through abuiier-spring. c is a recess in the front end of each half, the tworecesses forming a bell'mouth to receive and guide the entering link 0.e is a longitudinal recess in the upper part of each half, to receive alatch, E, whose rear end extends through the shoulder of the draw-head,and is bent up, seen in Fig. 1. The recess 6 is enlarged back of theshoulder of the latch-bar, around which is coiled a spiral spring toshoot it forward over an opening, a, which forms a connection betweenthe fore part of the recess 0 and the back part of the opening 0. In theopening a is placed a metallic ball, D, which is raised therein by anentering link passing under it, the latehE being drawn back to permitthe ball to lift, the ball dropping into the link and retaining it inthe draw-head instead of the usual couplingpin. The intern a1 workin gparts being in place, the sections of the draw-bar may be securedtogether by bolts or otherwise. G is a bar or lever lying on thedraw-head engaging with the latch-bar at 9, Fig. 2. This bar extendsfrom one side of the car to the other, so that said latch may beoperated thereby by a person standing at either side of the car. H H aretwo bent and slotted bars, one being attached to each side of thedraw-head and extending backward, the bar Gr playing through theirslots. In each bar H, WlllOll' should be of an elastic nature, is acatch or offset, I. Two inclined plates, J, are secured to the car-sillsin the path of the rear ends of the spring-bars H, from each of which isa pendent stud, seen in Fig. 2.

To operate the device, the lever G is drawn back at either side untilthe stud of that side engages with the offset I, carrying back thelatch-bolt from over the top of the opening a. Upon the coming togetherof two cars, the entering link raises the ball, which drops into saidlink, and the draw-heads come forcibly together, the rear ends of thespringbars H being closed toward each other, releasing the lever G, whenthe spring around the latch-bar throws it forward, closing the top ofthe opening a against the ball, and thus retaining the link in thedraw-head.

I do not claim, broadly, the invention of a draw-head in two halves orsections; but

1V hat I do claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, wit-h a draw-head, of a ball to engage with anentering link and a latch-bar to prevent its disengagement, sub-

